The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Error The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ( 1982 ) R | A town's sheriff and regular patron of a historical whorehouse fights to keep it running when a TV reporter targets it as the Devil's playhouse. Director: From $2.99 (SD) on Amazon Video ON DISC a list of 32 titles created 27 May 2012 a list of 28 titles created 11 Aug 2012 a list of 25 titles created 28 Apr 2013 a list of 35 titles created 4 months ago a list of 27 titles created 3 months ago Title: The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) 5.8/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin.

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations. See more awards » Photos Three female employees of a sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot find a way to turn the tables on him. Director: Colin Higgins A woman ditches her small town life for big city Chicago, where she becomes a sensation as a radio show host. Director: Barnet Kellman Stopping briefly in a small Texas town, an itinerant race car driver finds that his stock car, on a trailer behind his motor home, has just been quickly and expertly stripped. He chases ... See full summary » Director: Daniel Petrie A country music star must turn an obnoxious New York cabbie into a singer in order to win a bet. Director: Bob Clark The Bandit goes on another cross-country run, transporting an elephant from Florida to Texas. And, once again, Sheriff Buford T. Justice is on his tail. Director: Hal Needham A three-way friendship between two free-spirited professional football players and the owner's daughter becomes compromised when two of them become romantically involved.

Director: Michael Ritchie Unlikely Angel (TV Movie 1996) Comedy | Fantasy Dolly Parton portrays a country music performer who meets an untimely demise, but cannot enter heaven until she performs a good deed back on earth - to get a workaholic widower and his ... See full summary » Director: Michael Switzer Edit Storyline Founded in 1910 just outside of the city limits of Gilbert located in Lanville County, Texas, the Chicken Ranch has for generations been known as the best whorehouse in Texas for its wholesome fun, strict moral code and cleanliness, all perpetuated by its original owner, Miss Wulla Jean. Seven years ago, Miss Wulla Jean passed on, leaving the Chicken Ranch to her favorite working girl, Miss Mona Stangley, who wants to keep the same traditions of Miss Wulla Jean. The Chicken Ranch has always had the unofficial blessing of the local authorities, who see the ranch providing an important community service, one which most in local authority have used at one time or another in their life.

In fact, Miss Mona and Lanville County Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd have been in a relationship for years, Ed Earl who is Miss Mona's protector, albeit one with a hot temper and good ol' boy attitude that doesn't exactly match the needs of his law upholding position. That blessing may change when television ... Written by Huggo Did You Know? Trivia Dolly Parton has a song about "A Hard-Candy Christmas". This refers to being disappointed or down. Filled candies were not as available in the 30s through the 50s as they are today and were expensive. Children usually got chocolate covered filled candy at Christmastime as a treat. If their families were experiencing financial troubles all they would get were the relatively cheap hard candies which left them disappointed. See more » Goofs Miss Mona tells Sheriff Dodd she "has not been on the 11 o'clock news" before. Being in the central time zone, all Houston TV stations run their news at 10 o'clock, not 11. See more » Quotes Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The Book by Larry L.

King and Peter Masterson Music and Lyrics by Carol Hall Based on a story by Larry L. King "Utterly charming, lively and genial."- The New York Daily News "A font of fun and friendliness, engagingly rich in regional nostalgia and spiced with delicate bawdry. The country and western score is a delight." - Time Note on Digital Perusal: Samuel French's new digital perusal process grants easy, digital access to music perusals while protecting the intellectual property of our composers, book writers, and lyricists. Samuel French perusals are intended to be used for finding the perfect show to fit your theater, casting pool, and resources. Perusals should be used to get acquainted with the music and script. They cannot be used to hold auditions, produce the show without a license, or find sheet music for a separate performance.

More Information Below: Rhode Island College News | “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” | April 13, 2016 “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” RIC Mainstage Theatre brings to life “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” an award-winning musical, on April 14-16 at 7:30 p.m. and April 16 and 17 at 2 p.m. in Roberts Hall Auditorium. A small-town Texas brothel has carried out its illegal business with impunity for decades, thanks to the winks, nods and dedicated patronage of local law enforcement and government officials. But when a TV journalist reports on the illegal activity, the political backlash forces the town’s sheriff to shut the place down. “Whorehouse” is as much about political hypocrisy and journalistic opportunism as it is about prostitution. Based on a true story that took place in the 1970s, “audiences may see striking similarities between the politics and morality of then and now,” said Director Bill Wilson, RIC professor of musical theatre.

Wilson has assembled a high-spirited cast that includes RIC students Stephanie Barney, who plays Miss Mona (the madam of the brothel); Joe DeLeo, who plays Sheriff Dodd; Remson DeJoseph, who plays the double-talking governor of Texas; and Joseph Sherry, who plays the zealous TV reporter. “This is a very well-crafted play with an excellent book, beautiful music and terrific dancing,” said Wilson. Director of choreography is RIC Associate Professor Angelica Vessella Cardente. For tickets, contact the RIC Box Office at 401-456-8144 or stop by the Box office Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. RIC’s Bachelor of Arts program in theatre offers concentrations in performance, design/technical and general theatre and has the only musical theatre program in Southeastern New England. RIC theatre students stage four major productions annually and consistently earn top honors each year at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival. Many of RIC’s theatre alumni have gone on to appear in prominent roles on television, stage and film.

April 13, 2016 CHICKEN RANCH | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Site CHICKEN RANCH CHICKEN RANCH. The "Chicken Ranch" in La Grange, Fayette County, made famous by the Broadway musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, was perhaps the oldest continuously running brothel in the nation. Institutionalized prostitution in La Grange can be traced back to 1844, when a widow, "Mrs. Swine," brought three young women from New Orleans and settled in a small hotel near the saloon. Mrs. Swine became the first madam and began a tradition of interaction with the community and local lawmen that lasted almost 130 years. She and the girls and women who worked for her carried on a lucrative business, using the hotel lobby for entertaining and a room upstairs for services, until the Civil War , when she and a faithful prostitute named Tillie were run out of town as Yankees and traitors. After the war prostitution continued to operate in conjunction with the saloons in La Grange, but no official records were kept.

By the end of the nineteenth century, prostitution had moved out of the hotels and into a red-light district on the banks of the Colorado River. There Miss Jessie Williams (born Faye Stewart) bought a small house soon after her arrival from Waco in 1905. She continued the custom set by her predecessor of good relations with the law and ran the only respectable house on the banks of the Colorado River; she admitted politicians and lawmen but excluded drunkards. Through her connections she learned of an impending crusade against the red-light district, sold the house she owned in Waco, and bought two dwellings and eleven acres outside of the city limits of La Grange and two blocks from the road to Houston. This became the location of the Chicken Ranch. In 1917 two sisters arrived at the house and were taken in and promoted to "middle-management" positions by Miss Jessie. They were in charge of public relations and sent packages and letters to local boys fighting in World War I . One of the sisters eventually married an older, wealthy customer and moved to San Antonio, where she became, as one author says, "a beloved benefactor and patron of the arts." The other sister stayed in her middle-management position until her death.

As the war ended and America entered the twenties, automobiles made the establishment accessible to many more customers. New prostitutes came and necessitated more rooms and new furniture. The rooms were simply built onto the main house in a haphazard fashion as needed, a style that continued until the closing of the place. Miss Jessie stayed on good terms with the sheriff, Will Lossein, who visited every evening to pick up gossip and get information on criminals who had visited the whorehouse and bragged of their exploits. Many crimes in La Grange were solved in this way. While the sheriff kept a tight grip on criminals, Miss Jessie ruled the house with a firm hand. Nothing exotic was allowed, and none of the bedroom doors had locks on them. Miss Jessie would walk the halls, and if she heard a customer giving one of her girls a hard time she would chase him out of the room and house with an iron rod and perhaps never admit him again. As the Great Depression hit and the economy fell, Miss Jessie was forced to lower her prices. Though initially she still had plenty of clients, as times grew harder, customers were not so plentiful and the girls grew hungry.

Miss Jessie therefore began the "poultry standard" of charging "one chicken for one screw." Soon chickens were everywhere, and the establishment became known as the Chicken Ranch. The girls were never hungry. Miss Jessie supplemented the income by selling surplus chickens and eggs. The economy began to turn around as the Civilian Conservation Corps began construction of Camp Swift near La Grange, and the shortage of men and money declined. The establishment used the same public-relations tactics in World War II as in the First World War, and the ranch began an economic recovery from the depression. As the war ended, Miss Jessie was confined to a wheelchair by arthritis but still ruled the house with her iron rod. She did so into the 1950s, when she was confined to her bed and cared for by her longtime nurse. She spent her last few years with her wealthy sister in San Antonio and died in 1961 at the age of eighty. Edna Milton had arrived at the Chicken Ranch from Oklahoma in 1952 at the age of twenty-three. She soon took over for Miss Jessie and proved just as capable and entrepreneurial.

When she bought the ranch from Miss Jessie's heirs for $30,000-much more than the property value-she already had established herself as a competent madam. She had a good relationship with the new sheriff, T. J. Flournoy, who had been elected in 1946 and had immediately put in a direct line to the Chicken Ranch, so he could replace the nightly visits of his predecessor with nightly calls. Edna also interacted with the community in the same ways Jessie had: social contact between the girls and the residents of La Grange was forbidden; girls saw the doctor weekly and shopped with local merchants; and commodities and supplies were bought from local stores on a rotating basis. Edna also continued Jessie's custom of giving money to local civic causes and became one of the town's largest philanthropists. The generosity of her donations points to the success of the ranch. During the 1950s the ranch reached its sixteen-girl maximum. On some weekends there was a line at the door, made of students and soldiers from the nearby military bases. One base even supplied transportation via helicopter to the ranch. A visit to the Chicken Ranch also became part of freshman initiation at Texas A&M.

A door attendant admitted only white, presentable, and sober men into the parlor, where chairs stood on both sides of the room. No cursing or drinking was allowed of the men, or the women for that matter. Edna charged a quarter for the jukebox, seventy-five cents for cigarettes, and a dollar for a Coke, steep prices for the sixties. The women asked for music and Cokes to promote business. The going rate for their services was fifteen dollars for fifteen minutes, though more expensive options were added in the sixties. A girl would have from five to twenty customers a day. After giving an estimated 75 percent to Edna, the prostitutes still made $300 a week and had no expenses. Edna took care of taxes, insurance, utilities, food (two meals a day), weekly doctor visits, two attendants, maids, a cook, and laundry bills. Even before profits from the Cokes, cigarettes, and jukebox, it has been estimated that the ranch had an income of more than $500,000 a year.

All new employees were fingerprinted and photographed by Sheriff Flournoy before they could start work, and a criminal record of any kind prevented their employment. Flournoy caught a few women wanted on warrants this way. Once at the ranch, the women had to subscribe to strict rules written by Miss Edna. The Chicken Ranch continued operating successfully until mid-1973. That year, consumer-affairs reporter Marvin Zindler from KTRK-TV in Houston ran a week-long exposé on the ranch. He claimed that his motive was inaction on the part of the Texas Department of Public Safety and local law officers to combat the organized crime and corruption allegedly evident at the ranch. All of the attention drawn to the ranch forced the governor, Dolph Briscoe, to meet with the head of the DPS, the state attorney general, and Zindler. At the meeting it was disclosed that the DPS had run a two-month surveillance on the Chicken Ranch and had failed to find evidence of connection with organized crime. However, the pressure on the governor was such that he could not ignore the problem. He scheduled a meeting with Sheriff Jim Flournoy and ordered the house closed.

The sheriff, along with some of the citizens of La Grange, saw little reason to close the ranch, but thought he had to do it anyway. He informed Edna of the situation, and by Wednesday morning of the week following Zindler's exposé, August 1, 1973, the ranch was closed and the women had left. Flournoy left for his meeting with the governor with a petition signed by nearly 3,000 people, but upon arriving was informed that the governor had canceled the meeting when he heard the house was closed. Most of the ranch's employees had headed for Austin or Houston; only Edna and a few maids were left. Edna attempted to buy a house in La Grange, but her downpayment was returned. She subsequently got married and moved to an East Texas town where her husband owned several restaurants. Although the Chicken Ranch was officially closed, the story was not over. Customers showed up for more than two years looking for the place. Zindler also came back for a follow-up story and in the midst of an argument with Sheriff Flournoy was pushed down. This resulted in a $3 million lawsuit against the sheriff.

Many local people began contributing to Flournoy's cause by selling T-shirts and bumper stickers. Flournoy settled out of court for much less than $3 million. The musical about the ranch was very successful. Edna had a silent role in the Broadway production, which was later turned into a movie. Two lawyers from Houston bought the building and land and in 1977 moved part of the building, in its original condition, to Dallas to open a restaurant named the Chicken Ranch. It opened in September 1977 with Miss Edna as the hostess, the building and furniture in their original condition, and a menu of mainly chicken dishes. The restaurant closed in January 1978. The building and furniture were auctioned off at the site of the restaurant in late June of that year in a foreclosure sale ordered by the Small Business Administration. Sheriff Flournoy resigned in 1980, saying that he and his wife were sick of hearing about the Chicken Ranch and did not want to hear that name again. When he died in October of 1982, his funeral was attended by Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby and nearly 100 lawmen.

He was credited with solving every murder and bank robbery in Fayette County during his thirty-four-year term. The Chicken Ranch had helped his criminal investigations. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Austin American–Statesman, August 2, 1973, January 22, June 25, 1978. Jan Hutson, The Chicken Ranch: The True Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (New York: Barnes, 1980). Vertical Files, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin (Jim Flournoy, La Grange, Texas). Walter F. Pilcher Marvin Zindler, 85, Crusader in ‘Whorehouse in Texas’ Case, Is Dead - The New York Times The New York Times U.S. |Marvin Zindler, 85, Crusader in ‘Whorehouse in Texas’ Case, Is Dead Search HOUSTON, July 30 — Marvin Zindler, an antic and a populist television crusader here who became known nationally when he had “the best little whorehouse in Texas ” closed on corruption grounds, died here on Sunday. He was 85.

The cause was pancreatic cancer, according to his station, KTRK-TV, an ABC affiliate. Mr. Zindler, with his cheerfully admitted plastic surgery, closet of peacock fashions, blatant hairpieces and blue-tinted glasses, was best known for his first foray into investigative journalism, in 1973. He exposed a widely tolerated bawdyhouse known as the Chicken Ranch in La Grange. The case was the basis for the musical and movie “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Mr. Zindler was an early consumer advocate and action reporter, campaigning against scams, medical abuses and unsanitary food conditions. His regular Friday “rat and roach reports” had the KTRK coffee shop closed for violations at least three times. Friends said he was quiet spoken and never shouted — until he was on the air. He was known for cheerfully stumbling over words, rendering “Voilà!” as “Viola!” There was nothing comical about his reporting, whether riding with trash collectors to highlight the difficulties of their work, traveling overseas to arrange medical care for stricken children or visiting relief recipients to show the misery of their lives.

Among his causes was a medical charity, the Agris-Zindler Children’s Foundation, started with his plastic surgeon, Dr. Joe Agris, and supported in part by profits from a biography that Dr. Agris wrote about his patient, “White Knight in Blue Shades.” Photo Marvin Zindler last year. Credit Billy Smith II/Houston Chronicle, via Associated Press Born in Houston in 1921, Marvin Zindler, an aspiring boxer and a musician, attended an agricultural college and joined the Marines in 1941. The next year, he married Gertrude Kugler, who died in 1997. They had five children, who survive, four sons, Marvin Jr., Donny and Danny, all of Houston, and Mark, of Tyler; and a daughter, Helen Rogers of Houston. Also surviving is his second wife, the former Niki Devine. Disdaining a career in his father’s clothing shop, Mr. Zindler became a part-time radio disc jockey in 1943, In 1950, he joined a film production company that produced news for an early station here, KPRC-TV.

Two years later, he became a crime reporter and photographer, along the way undergoing his first plastic surgery, to remove a double chin and bob his nose. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Then he went into law enforcement, joining the Harris County Sheriff’s Department in 1962, hunting fugitives and establishing the Consumer Fraud Division. He was fired, he later said, after he drew the ire of businessmen who elected a rival sheriff. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up Privacy Policy In 1973, at the age of 51, Mr. Zindler began his career at KTRK. Exposing the La Grange brothel quickly caught his interest, he later recounted, because the local authorities allowed it to operate and Texas officials deferred to them. But he had an ally in the state attorney general, John Hill, who slipped Mr. Zindler investigative reports. Gov. Dolph Briscoe then moved swiftly to close the Chicken Ranch, making Mr. Zindler a star, although, he said, he did not much care for his film portrayal by Dom DeLuise, as Melvin P.

Thorpe. Eventually, Mr. Zindler earned $1 million a year as the KTRK celebrity newshound. He reported on his own heart surgery, gallbladder removal, prostate cancer and quintuple bypass and, of course, his many facelifts. He filed consumer reports from his hospital bed until days before his death. On announcing his last illness on the air on July 5, Mr. Zindler said, “I don’t want anybody to feel sorry for me because I’m almost 86 years old.” A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A15 of the New York edition with the headline: Marvin Zindler, 85, Crusader in ‘Whorehouse in Texas’ Case.

Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Reviews & Ratings - IMDb IMDb 17 January 2017 8:34 AM, PST NEWS 41 out of 47 people found the following review useful: Underrated and enjoyable film from United States 24 January 2000 Sure, the movie shows some skin, but that's not all there is to it, so don't let the prospect of that keep you from watching this movie. There's much more to it than that. Sitting down to watch this film, you're immediately drawn in by one of the most ambitious parts of the film - the history of the Chicken Ranch, decade by decade, depicted with singing, dancing and huge productions that last only a moment, all set to the tune of "Twenty Fans" and narrated by Jim Nabors. Some people would probably be surprised to find that this movie was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical in the 1983 Golden Globe awards.

Dolly Parton was also nominated for a Golden Globe award in the Best Actress - Comedy/Musical category, while Charles Durning, in his role of the Texas governor, was nominated (quite rightly) for an Academy Award for Best Actor In A Supporting Role. The best thing about the film is the character of Miss Mona, played by Dolly Parton. I read that Barbara Mandrell or Crystal Gayle were also up for the part, but I can't imagine anyone else playing Miss Mona. You can't help liking Miss Mona - she's not like any prostitute or madam the 1982 movie-going public had ever seen. She's a ray of sunshine, totally forthright, honest, optimistic, generous, open-hearted and sweet. She even contributes heavily to local charities and causes, and one of her lines is "Well, I always just thought if you see somebody without a smile, give 'em yours!" As usual in her films, Parton, who is a singer/songwriter, not a trained actress, holds her own and more. Her entrance, singing "Lil' Ole Bitty Pissant Country Place" as she slowly walks down the stairs in that red dress, is something else.

Throughout the movie, Miss Mona's fiery temper and tender heart provide some of the most authentic moments. Reynolds plays the character his audience loves best - the smart ass. And he plays it very well. This movie shows him in the character of a sheriff, which must have been amusing to moviegoers accustomed to seeing him outrunning sheriffs and state police in his "Smokey & The Bandit" movies. Ed Earl is a typical Reynolds character - getting most of the funniest lines, cussing up a storm, getting philosophical in his semi-ignorant way and defending Miss Mona to the best of his hot-tempered ability. Dom DeLuise plays the part of Melvin P. Thorpe to perfection, right down to the corset and the stuffed pants. He is a delight. Perfect comic timing. "Watchdog Report/Texas Has a Whorehouse in It" is a production number that is completely right for him. Jim Nabors is, well, Jim Nabors. I still laugh thinking about the opening line of the movie, delivered in his "GOL-LEE" tone: "It was the nicest little whorehouse you ever saw!" Nabors plays Deputy Fred, who also narrates the movie.

Also of note is Charles Durning as the governor of Texas, who is perfect as he schmoozes and avoids the facts. It is no surprise to me that this actor, who has now made over 100 movies, was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for this role. My favorite part of his brief airtime is the business with his cowboy hat (four or five times he puts his hat on sideways and then whirls to the side so that it falls correctly onto his head). His singing and dancing in "The Sidestep" pulls out no stops - you can't stop watching him. I couldn't help wondering how Steve Martin would have played this role, but Durning makes it his own. The movie is, of course, a musical, and it was a musical before it was made into a movie - so we get lots of musical numbers, including one with the Aggie football team. If you like musicals, you will like this, because the songs were clearly written not to be hits, not to be videos, but to be part of a musical. Mona's Girls and the Aggies are not actors - they're extremely talented dancers, some of whom can sing.

The Aggies, who are supposed to be the Texas A & M football team, push their scenes to the limit. It does stretch dramatic license a bit when the football players have most of their clothes off and are dancing around the locker room - their physiques are clearly not football material - but no matter. Yee-haw! Mona's girls have been chosen to represent many different physical types of women, and besides their obvious dancing talent, each gets a small solo (one or two lines) in one of the movie's final songs, "Hard Candy Christmas" (a song which sounds as if it was written by Parton but wasn't). This is, to me, the best song in the movie, and it's a shame that a different version was used on the soundtrack (in the movie, each girl sings a line or two, with Parton singing the choruses, but on the soundtrack version, Parton sings it all). Nothing against Parton, but I enjoyed hearing/seeing all the different reactions as expressed by their distinct voices as the girls faced their uncertain futures. Parton also contributed two of her own original songs to the movie.

"I Will Always Love You," which she originally wrote and released in 1974, became this film's love song and went to number one for a second time (of course, it went to number one again when covered by Whitney Houston in 1992. The other song that Dolly contributed is "Sneakin' Around" (a "9 to 5"-like duet between Parton and Reynolds). According to some information on the WWW, she also contributed other songs which were not used, including a song which she later re-wrote for "Rhinestone." Looking back on this film from 18 years in the future, I'm sure that many people have a low opinion of it, but I think it's a classic. Supposedly based on a true story, this film invites you in and never lets you go, keeping you hooked with sharply written dialogue and fast-paced action. Once you start watching it, it's impossible to stop - some of the comedy is very subtle, and each performer seems perfectly cast and enthusiastically performs her or his role. There aren't as many serious moments, but they are well-acted. Ed Earl and Miss Mona have a long-term relationship, spiced with something more perhaps?

Miss Mona's face after her fight with Ed Earl conveys such weary hurt that you can't help wanting her to get a break. There's much more to this movie than Mona's girls. It's about friendship, tradition, honesty, promises and tolerance as well. Managing to express valid points and make a 1982 audience sympathize with prostitutes, it also manages to poke fun at society. Was the above review useful to you? 24 out of 30 people found the following review useful: One of the most fun and upbeat musicals ever made. from Conn 20 March 2004 How could anyone not love this movie? Being a big fan of musicals myself, I love this movie for the fun, campy performances, larger then life, sassy, characters,smalltown southern charm, the surprisingly sweet romance between Reynolds and Parton(I'm a big fan of both) and the homage to the south in general-YEEHAW!!! This is a perfect movie to watch directly after you've watched a heavy movie and want to "come down". It's bright, fun and filled with wicked gaiety.

Anyone who's a fan of musicals should see this, I've seen many a stage show as well, my one big regret is I never saw the play version of this. I don't see how anyone could fault Burt Reynolds performance in this, in my opinion the casting choices-all of them-were as close to perfect as there is. Although I do not live in Texas, I have visited and hold a deep admiration for Texas and all it has to offer. I love movies about one of my favorite states in the country, as well as musicals, so this was a double plus. And everyone played their roles with such charm, Dolly was so lovable, Reynolds, the tough sheriff yet so decent at heart and Charles Durning as mentioned by nearly EVERYBODY was amazing. This ranks up there as one of my all time top musicals, it's got so much gaiety and is so infectiously warm, inviting and a celebration of fun! A must see. 8 of 10. Was the above review useful to you?

24 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Sadly forgotten from United States 8 April 2002 Big, splashy, fun musical about a whorehouse (the Chicken Ranch) in Texas run by Miss Mona (Dolly Parton). She's in love with the sheriff (Burt Reynolds) and the town has no problem with the house. Then a sleazy TV showman (Dom DeLuise) exposes the ranch and all hell breaks lose. This was a modest hit in 1982. It's easy to see why--it's full of energy and enthusiasm, has great songs and some fantastic all out production numbers. Reynolds is just OK but Parton is an absolute joy--she gives one of her best performances and even sings "I Will Always Love You" (I prefer Whitney's version). Also there is equal amounts of male and female nudity and has a healthy attitude about sex (this was made before AIDS was well-known about). And Charles Durning stops the show with his "sidestepping" number...he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for this. Only complaint is the ending. It's way too serious and realistic--I wish they had opted for a fairy tale like ending.

Also Lois Nettleton's subplot is seriously underdeveloped--I assume it was shot but cut out for the running time. See it and enjoy! from Buffalo, New York 13 December 2008 The Texas county where Burt Reynolds is sheriff has only one thing that makes it stand out from all the other counties in the state. And I'm not referring to Dolly Parton's 40Ds. It's rather the old and established institution of the Chicken Ranch, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. Or maybe west of the Mississippi truth be told, if everyone left there as happy as they seem. This film is a real gem, a timely and historical film as well as a fun country musical. The story is a true one, the names changed to protect the innocent as that other American institution used to say. Although few people but Dom DeLuise seem to have their innocence intact in this film. In this county west of Houston for over 100 years servicing the veterans of five wars was the Chicken Ranch, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. It's existence was the most open secret in the state and everyone seemed happy with the arrangement.

In fact the current owner, Dolly Parton, is a valued member of the community, paying her taxes and giving of money and time to community endeavors. She runs a disease free establishment and insists that of her customers. But this was the time the Moral Majority was flexing it's muscles in the person of Dom DeLuise. He's really quite the scream as the crusading reporter going to close this den of vice and corruption. He stirs up quite the hornet's nest in the state. Best scene of the film is the annual party for the winner of the Texas A&M, University of Texas football game. Those Aggies play hard and plow hard. And that's the night when DeLuise and his television crew decide to pull their own raid. The party is hosted by State Senator Robert Mandan playing the part in his best sanctimonious tradition. Of course he pales beside Charles Durning as the governor of Texas. Durning was nominated for Best Supporting Actor and his political credo of never saying anything is embodied in that wonderful Sidestep number he has. Durning looks like he's having a great old time.

Carol Hall wrote the rollicking score for The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas and Dolly Parton also had the good sense to get a couple of her songs interpolated in the film, one of them her beloved I Will Always Love You. For all her good works Dolly is still the Madame of a bordello and that fact prevents her from being taken too seriously by Burt Reynolds as marriage material. I'm sure the film was not a favorite of the late Jerry Falwell, DeLuise lampoons him so viciously. It is an entertaining reminder of times that sad to say haven't gone altogether away. Was the above review useful to you? 13 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Just the right dose of Southern Comfort from Toronto, Canada 20 April 2005 Surprisingly good musical about the infamous "Chicken Ranch". The women are pretty, the songs are good, the dancing is OK. I wasn't expecting much, but I found the movie enjoyable, even fun to watch. Burt Reynolds and Dolly Parton both give good performances. Great songs by Parton. She sings "I Will Always Love You" even better than Whitney.

Another good song: "Sneaking Around with You" by both Parton and Reynolds. He sings! Get over the title and rent this one. I actually got the movie from my local public library. The movie does make some kind of statement on the issue of prostitution, but also on the power of the media. But don't expect lengthy analysis! Seen at home, in Toronto, on April 20th, 2005. I first saw this movie in the early eighties. 79/100 (***) 14 December 2011 5.3? The problem, I suspect, with this movie is that the wrong people are watching it, and the right aren't. Let's see, who does this movie offend? Christian fundamentalists, politicians and Texans. I don't know how many of the former are watching it and then rating it (perhaps they just rate first, watch later), but it looks like some Texans don't have a sense of humor. And then there are Burt Reynolds fans who might be shocked to find this is not a typical Burt Reynolds movie, and hate it. But folks who aren't Burt Reynolds fans will probably enjoy it.

Reynolds' excellent acting is natural, understated, and properly nuanced to the scenes. I think Reynolds and Parton are very well cast together and have real chemistry. As to Dolly Parton, who knows? All I know is you don't have to be a Dolly Parton country music fan to love this movie. My estimation of Ms. Parton went up enormously after first seeing this movie. She is one smart lady and a fine actress. So, to add it up, if you are not from Texas, not a Bible-thumper, not a politician, not a Burt Reynolds fan and not a Dolly Parton fan, you should definitely watch The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Oh, and folks expecting porn are going to be disappointed, though there is the briefest of cameos by none other than Kay Parker, dressed. Don't blink. Too bad she didn't get a speaking part. This lady can actually act! I saw her reciting Shakespeare, for some reason I can't recall, in one of her movies, and she was real good. Watch this movie because it is laugh out loud funny. You need to watch closely at the details because the scenes are beautifully crafted.

Watch the one of Dom DeLuise getting dressed in front of Reynolds before going on air. It is hilarious, especially the sock. But the most memorable scene is of "Governor" Charles Durning doing his "Sidestep" number. It is a masterpiece. It is easy to forget this is a musical, perhaps because the storyline is so strong it could survive as a movie without music. But a musical it is, in the tradition of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Oklahoma! with its masculine cowboy acrobatics dancing, though with an 80s twist, given the locker room dance number. Thats what makes this movie great: It takes the concept of the musical comedy and brings it out of the Fifties and into the Eighties in a way that is still relevant and pretty outrageous today because of its swipe at hypocrisy. Did I say swipe? Perhaps dagger thrust or kick in the face to hypocrisy would be more accurate. In this regard, The Best Little Whorehouse is hardly subtle. So perhaps I should add to the list of people who will not like this movie, hypocrites. For them, there is "Hello, Dolly!" Was the above review useful to you?

10 out of 15 people found the following review useful: Brilliant from United Kingdom 21 April 2006 This movie is brilliant. Great soundtrack, great acting and a great story. It's not for everyone but if you like a good light heated movie with a great soundtrack then this is for you. Dolly Parton is beautiful and brilliant as miss Mona and Burt Reynolds is perfect as the sheriff. the supporting cast is as good as you could hope the only downside i can add is nothing its brilliant. towards the end the Governor is brilliant and Dom Delouise play as usual a great part. in finishing its a great movie to watch with the girls with a bottle of wine. But also a good movie to watch with a loved one, i must say the soundtrack is so good i bought it which may not be so impressive but it's the only one i own. Watch the movie i'm sure you will enjoy it Was the above review useful to you?

11 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Dolly's Voice from New York City 11 April 2004 The pure part of this film is Dolly's voice, with its warble, its touch of yodel, its complete inability to resists little trills, mordents, all the musical embellishments that are mirrored in her visual presence, her couture. And since the sumptuous breasts are maybe even a bit too much here--with many gown changes in the big numbers--that is all the more striking that it is still the singing that stands out. Jim Nabors, for example, takes some time to seem bearable to me, but finally the whole context works; but the movie seems like it is going to be horrible till Dolly's first phrase in the "Pissant Country Place" song.

Carol Hall's "Rock Candy Christmas" is a good number, but putting Dolly's "I Will Always Love You" was the smartest thing done musically here; in no way is the subsequent Whitney Houston version comparable in either sincerity or just naturalness of lovely sound--she uses little ornaments, too, but changes them as if to be original; all you really notice is that she didn't use the ones Dolly had already made perfect, as if they were as firm and fixed as the melody line itself. It was a considerably smarter thing than using "My Man" in 'Funny Girl', when "The Music that Makes Me Dance" would have made the show keep its original musical integrity; and leaving out the Ziegfeld Follies type numbers "Cornet Man" and "Rat-tat-tat" depleted this film, leaving it only great in moments ('Don't Rain on My Parade' is really the only great one.) Burt Reynolds is a charmer as the sheriff and his and Dolly's affection for each other is sweet and moving. All of their scenes together work because they fully enjoy them, enjoy each other.

Certain big production numbers--the Aggies football players dancing in the locker room, then when they get to the Chicken Ranch, for example--seem to be low imitations of old Agnes de Mille choreography in 'Oklahoma', full of old-fashioned "cowboy high spirits" (one cannot keep from enjoying how non-cowboy most of the dancers must surely be) that have nothing new in them and merely seem mechanical. It's a better Dolly Parton movie--though certainly not great--as a whole than 'Nine to Five', but nothing has ever quite surpassed the poetic genius of that picture's title song, in which Dolly has captured so basic a part of most people's daily life that you can hardly believe that the song is actually there to question its very validity, which it does with no qualms at all. "Workin' nine to five, what a way to make a livin'... and later: "You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion...

They just use your mind, and they never give you credit, It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it." The real artist that she is peers through all the fluff from time to time, perhaps getting it through the fluff is the way it is proved. Was the above review useful to you? 3 out of 3 people found the following review useful: A fanciful musical set in a surprisingly true-to-life Texas 4 September 2014 *** This review may contain spoilers *** There is a commitment to authenticity in film production of "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." The people are fictional, in that no real-life sheriffs or governors or madams are depicted, but the movie is unafraid to use the names and likenesses of real, powerful Texas institutions to fill out the whorehouse clientele portion of its cast. Early on, Jim Nabors's goofball deputy explains one of the key plot points: the winning team of each year's famed football match between Texas A&M University and the University of Texas gets a free night at the Chicken Ranch, a house of ill repute west of Houston. To allege such a thing in a movie today would be impossible: the lawsuits would be swift and many.

But here, it isn't just allegedit's depicted in vivid detail and with the flamboyant abandon of a great movie musical. The sequence begins on the gridiron, with the trademarked logos of A&M and UT on proud display, and transitions to the victorious Aggies' locker room where the men do a gleeful choreographed routine and strip down to their bare asses right underneath the "Gig 'Em Aggies" sign. Soon enough they're at the Chicken Ranch, where a Senator looks on approvingly as the team and the employees dance and carry on in various states of undress. It's a very funny string of scenes, and it wouldn't have the same sense of stakes or impropriety if instead of the Aggies the team was some made-up, generic stand-in; in Texas, there is no stand-in for A&M. One wonders how the large and powerful Aggie alumni community feels about this film. The movie walks a delicate line regarding the morality of its subject matter.

It satirizes politicians (Charles Durning shows himself to be a physical comedy genius in his single, show-stealing number) and condemns "gotcha" journalism (Dom DeLuise's TV investigator dandy even uses that exclamation), and these are easy targets, but its discussion of the whorehouse itself is confined to a limited set of debate parameters. The perspective of the whores themselves is mostly missing, as is the criticism of prostitution as a kind of slavery. In its place is the less troubling contest between the support of safer, legalized, pimp-free prostitution and the old-fashioned condemnation of it on religious grounds. Most modern theater- and film-goers take the former view when those are the only two options, and the movie does so as well with a compelling and well-meaning righteousness. What it lacks in nuance on the subject of paid sex, it makes up for with really touching character moments between Burt Reynolds's duded-up sheriff and Dolly Parton's dolled- up proprietress. Their relationship is kept on impressively equal footing, and it feels as real and lived-in as the footage of the Texas capitol, the small-town courthouse square, and the Texas A&M stadium. Was the above review useful to you?

6 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Must see musical from Canada 24 October 2006 For those of us who really watch musicals for the music this is one of the quintessential musicals of it's time . There is in particular one song that is constantly stuck in my head from this show even 25 years after its original release. The classic " Nothing Dirty Going on" stands up well with the likes of Moulon rouge , and Chicago. Expect a bit of camp humor here as Dolly was made for this roll. It's classic dolly showing up everyone else in this over the top cast and making em all look like a bunch of fools by doing her part so well. Deloise and Reynolds are clearly struggling to keep up with her acting wise throughout the film and it's blatantly obvious Dolly had way way too much fun in this roll. A great musical on a true story that really could use a remake with the right cast . Was the above review useful to you?

Page 1 of 5: The Best Little Whorehouse in… | Recording Details and Tracks | AllMusic The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, musical Share this page THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) Site THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS Stars whoop it up at the world premiere of the movie The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas at the Paramount Theatre in Austin in 1982. Left to right: Jim Nabors, Dolly Parton, and Burt Reynolds. Photograph by Bill Malone, Courtesy of Texas State Library and Archives Commission, Prints & Photographs #1983/011-09. THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS. In 1974 Texas writer Larry L. King wrote an article about the notorious " Chicken Ranch ," an illegal but tolerated brothel in La Grange, Fayette County, Texas.

The establishment operated from 1905 until 1973, when consumer-affairs reporter Marvin Zindler from KTRK-TV in Houston, ran an exposé on the ranch, which resulted in authorities closing it down. King and Texas-born singer and songwriter Carol Hall met by chance at the Cellar Door in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where King was based at the time. The idea for a musical was born at this meeting, and in 1976 another Texan, Peter Masterson, an experienced Broadway actor, was brought in, and the idea was further developed. King and Masterson wrote the book, and Hall wrote the songs. The musical was performed as a workshop project at the Actors Studio in New York in October 1977. The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was subsequently produced at the Entermedia Theatre, New York, in April 1978. This production was directed by Peter Masterson and fellow Texan Tommy Tune, with choreography by Tune, and featured Carlin Glynn as "Miss Mona" and Henderson Forsythe as "Sheriff Ed Earl Dodd." In June 1978 the musical moved to the 46th Street Theatre on Broadway.

Over 3,000 hopefuls auditioned for the production, which ran for 1, 584 performances before closing in March 1982. Larry L. King made his first and last Broadway appearance when he took the stage, playing Sheriff Dodd for a two-week stint during the Broadway run. The show was described as “reasonably good, if raunchy…” and “offered the added attraction of a country-and-western style score” according to the Oxford Companion to American Theatre, while The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas was a success “thanks to earthy Texan dialogue, skillfully etched characters” and “songs that combined Nashville with Broadway,” stated Andrew Lamb in his book 150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre.

Listen to this musical The show won a number of awards: Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical—Henderson Forsythe (1979); Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical—Carlin Glynn (1979); Theatre World Award—Carlin Glynn (1978–79); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Musical—Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune (1978); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Lyrics—Carol Hall (1978); and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music—Carol Hall (1978). The “Aggie Song" was performed on the Tony Awards broadcast but was heavily censored because of the saucy nature of the lyrics and choreography. In 1979 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas opened in Houston at the Tower and was the first Broadway musical to have an open-ended season in Texas. In 1982 Glynn and Hall were cast in "a return engagement." After nine previews, this production opened on May 31 at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre and ran for sixty-three performances.

The Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public, a short-lived sequel, was staged on Broadway in 1994. Ann-Margret starred in a national touring production in 2001. In 1982 a movie version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, filmed in Austin, was released by Universal, with a cast that included Dolly Parton, Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, Charles Durning, Jim Nabors, Lois Nettleton, Noah Beery, Jr., and Barry Corbin. The movie was directed by Colin Higgins. Dolly Parton was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy), and the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). Charles Durning was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. BIBLIOGRAPHY: Ken Bloom, Frank Vlastnik, Jerry Orbach (forward by), Broadway Musicals: The 101 Greatest Shows of All Time ( New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2004). Gerald Bordman, Oxford Companion to American Theatre (New York: Oxford University Press, 1984).

Internet Movie Database ( accessed June 15, 2011. Larry L. King, The Whorehouse Papers (New York: Viking Press, 1982). Andrew Lamb, 150 Years of Popular Musical Theatre (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000). Tony Wilson The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas Follow DL on The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas What's the general opinion of this movie musical on the DL? I personally like it, despite it's flaws. I know it had a bitch of a time getting made in the first place. There's a book called "The Whorehouse Papers" written by the guy who created the show, where he goes into great depth about the chaos surrounding the shoot. The film and Burt Reynolds performance both wound up getting panned. The only two to get universally praised were Dolly and Charles Durning. There was also oscar talk for both of them (only Durning got nominated). But for that moment, Dolly seemed to be heading towards a big acting career. (She was offered "Educating Rita" shortly after the film wrapped) by Anonymous Were they going to Americanize "Educating Rita" for Dolly?

by Anonymous reply 1 02/06/2010 It's alright. The Broadway show was much much better. They cut alot of course but Dolly gets to sing "I Will Always Love You" on screen and that is never a bad thing. by Anonymous reply 2 02/06/2010 The play was co-written and co-directed by Peter Masterson who is Mary Stuart Masterson's Father and her Mother Carlin Glynn starred as Miss Mona. by Anonymous Carlin Glynn perhaps best known as Molly Ringwald's mother in Sixteen Candles. by Anonymous reply 4 02/06/2010 Directer Colin Higgins made three films, "Foul Play", "9 to 5" and then "Whorehouse". He died of AIDS a few years after. What a talent and what might have been. by Anonymous They kept "The Aggie Song" intact from the show. by Anonymous reply 6 02/06/2010 Funny how "Hard Candy Christmas" a whore's lament of leaving the business and having abosultely nothing to do with Christams has become a holiday favorite.

It's all over the radio through out the season. by Anonymous reply 7 02/06/2010 I always wondered how many of the Aggie dancers got to fuck with Burt off-set. He apparently likes macho, straight-acting guys. by Anonymous I love Miss Mona's no-no rules! by Anonymous reply 9 02/06/2010 I have always had a soft spot for it - I guess because I was living in Houston when the real events happened. I love "Dance a Little Sidestep." by Anonymous reply 10 02/06/2010 I tortured my boyfriend by making him watch it this Christmas! I love it! It's so funny. He hates country music and somehow doesn't get Dolly's appeal. by Anonymous The writer, Larry King, wanted Jill Clayburgh in Dolly Parton's role. by Anonymous Carlin Glynn singing "Bus From Amarillo" on the Broadway cast album is fabulous. by Anonymous My favorite is "Doatsy Mae" which wasn't used in the movie either.

by Anonymous reply 14 02/06/2010 Thought Linda Ronstadt would have been great for the film as Doatsy Mae and would have sung the shit out of that song but they cut it and basically her part. Lois Nettleton's character was in name only by Anonymous Aggie BOYS!?! Why it looks just like the original cast! by Anonymous reply 16 02/07/2010 Years ago, I came upon Best Little Whorehouse on CMT and it included "Where Stallions Run" performed by Reynolds, which was cut from the theatrical print and, strangely, isn't even on the DVD as an extra. by Anonymous Is that clip from Community Theatre? They kept their underwear on under the towel, never showered and then got dressed...gross. by Anonymous reply 18 02/07/2010 The fact that some were in their forties and fities playing high school kids didn't matter to you? by Anonymous 02/07/2010 The criticism at the time was directed at Dolly's and Burt's ages.

In the play, the Sheriff and Miss Mona are much older and world-weary, and there's no real romance between them. by Anonymous reply 20 02/07/2010 There was lots of changes, Jim Nabors was given a lot more to do than on stage and Melvin P. Thorpe became more of a cartoon fool, than a real villian that destroyed the Chicken Ranch. by Anonymous There WERE lots of changes by Anonymous I prefer "The Best Little Warehouse in LA" by Anonymous reply 23 02/07/2010 Dolly Parton in Educating Rita? Thank fuck she turned it down. Julie Walters was ace in that. by Anonymous Dom DeLuise was hilarious in this film. by Anonymous reply 25 02/07/2010 Hard to believe that the amazing Charles Durning who survived the Normandy Invasion of France on D-Day AND the Battle Of the Buldge, then became a professiobnal boxer would then sing and dance himself into an Oscar nomination for five minutes of screen time. by Anonymous Gee, r26, where did you find that?

by Anonymous "Dance a Little Sidestep" could have been the theme for the G. W. Bush regime. by Anonymous reply 29 02/08/2010 OP, there was never any Oscar talk for Dolly Parton in Whorehouse - get a grip. The reviews were pretty grim when it was released and it was agreed that Parton and Reynolds were about as sexy as Ma and Pa Kettle. I mean, Dolly is lovely, of course, and back then she had already given that unexpectedly great comic performance in 9 to 5 so it's not like anyone had the knives out for her. But Oscar? No way. I enjoyed the stage musical. It was a great story, it was earthy and had real poignancy. The dances were great, esp. the Aggies who were really beefy and built like football players. The film was kind of coy and annoying. In some ways this works better on stage because it's under a proscenium and gives the audience a little necessary distance from the material. The staging was also pretty spare and just suggested a kind of discreet little house.

Of course, in film, it's all close-up and overblown and I think this material seemed a little tasteless - for that reason, it always seems like the principal performers are trying too hard not to be tainted by the material, like when straight actors play gay. It's all "wink, wink - isn't this kind of sexy?" rather than a frank approach to the material. I saw this film again recently and it blows. It's pretty dull. Colin Higgins was no genius; he was quite the hack. by Anonymous 02/08/2010 Settle down R30. Talk about taking the fun out of a thread. And I remember there being buzz about Dolly possibly getting an oscar nomination for her performance. Yes, the film was panned, but she was praised by many of the critics. She was also nominated for the Golden Globe. by Anonymous reply 31 02/08/2010 A friend was involved with the film.

He said that the first time Dolly Parton read for the part, she gave a brilliant reading without any of her usual quirks, but when it came to filming she was terrified that her audience would not accept her as Miss Mona because they had come to see "Dolly"*. I don't think it helped that Burt Reynolds was cast opposite her. I remember that the film was dubbed "Smokey and the Bandit got to a Whorehouse", which is pretty much how it turned out. * Yeh, I know that story has been told about many actresses who are know as personalities. Another friend worked with Carol Channing in Pygmalion. She was apparently brilliant in rehearsals, but slipped into her "Carol" schtick after about 15 min in front of an audience. by Anonymous 02/08/2010 [quote]Colin Higgins was no genius; he was quite the hack. Dickhead, he directed three movies, "Foul Play" and "9 To 5", both smash hits and "Whorehouse" a success, but not a huge hit. He didn't live long enough to be a hack.

by Anonymous reply 34 02/08/2010 Erm, loser at R34: Both Foul Play and 9 to 5 opened to mixed reviews and Whorehouse was panned. Foul Play has a lifetime gross of, erm, USD 44 M; 9 to 5 did considerably better with USD 103 M and Whorehouse only did about USD 70 M. Mindless holiday fare, maybe, but no great loss to cinema. Just because you have no taste doesn't mean your commentary has to pass unchallenged. And Dolly got a Golden Globe nomination, obviously, in the comedy/musical category in 1983...only one year after Pia Zadora won for Butterfly so the Golden Globes were pretty much at their lowest ebb. Back then if they were televised it was strictly on UHF channels...lol! by Anonymous I loved the film! And I loved the music. "Funny how "Hard Candy Christmas" a whore's lament of leaving the business and having abosultely nothing to do with Christams has become a holiday favorite." That's because it wasn't written for the film!

by Anonymous reply 38 02/08/2010 "Hard Candy Christmas" is a song written by composer/lyricist Carol Hall for the musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Near the end of the original play, individual girls of the brothel sing lines of the verses as they are preparing to leave; they join together on the refrains. This pattern was adopted for the film version of the musical, except for the fact that Dolly Parton (who played Miss Mona) is featured as soloist on the refrains, with the girls accompanying her. A further alteration can be found on the soundtrack album for the film, in which Parton alone sings the verses. Parton's version of the song was released as a single and reached the top ten on the U.S. country singles chart in November 1982. In 1998, the song re-entered the country charts and peaked at #73 based on unsolicited airplay. In 1997, the song was covered by Rupaul on the album "Ho Ho Ho" featuring Michelle Visage and Barbara Mitchell.

The song has also been recorded by indie rocker Dan Bryk, and former Sixpence None The Richer vocalist Leigh Nash on their respective 2006 releases "Christmas Record" and Wishing for This. The Venture Bros. released a version of the song in 2005 as performed by Henchmen nos. 21 and 24 and The Monarch. by Anonymous No whips or rough stuff? Nore three or more in a bed? No kissing on the mouth? Jesus Christ, why don't I just stay at home and fuck my wife?! by Anonymous 02/08/2010 RE: Hard Candy Christmas, I believe that both this song and Bus to Amarillo we constantly moved to different spots in the play and given to different characters during the Broadway run. I saw the show numerous times and I swear Tommy Tune re-directed the play each time a new Mona went in. The tour with Ann Margaret was different from any of the Broadway productions. by Anonymous 02/08/2010 RE: Carol Channing I believe it was the White Barn Theater in CT. I told the story to someone and he said the poster for the production is still up in the lobby.

by Anonymous reply 43 02/08/2010 [quote]Erm, loser at [R34]: Both Foul Play and 9 to 5 opened to mixed reviews and Whorehouse was panned. Foul Play has a lifetime gross of, erm, USD 44 M; 9 to 5 did considerably better with USD 103 M and Whorehouse only did about USD 70 M. Mindless holiday fare, maybe, but no great loss to cinema...Just because you have no taste doesn't mean your commentary has to pass unchallenged. What are you 12? $44 Million in 1978 dollars. Movies cost $2.00 then knucklehead. "Foul Play" was a hit, ask Goldie Hawn, I know she'll agree because she told me so. It made a movie star out of Chevy Chase. Ask Jane Fonda if "9 to 5" was hit. She'll say yes, I know because I talked to her about that film too. I've worked my whole life in movie theaters so don't fuck with me with your taste.

Maybe if you didn't sit with your head up your ass, you might actually enjoy a movie. Now go to bed, little boy. by Anonymous Didn't Higgins also direct Silver Streak? And here's an article about the proposed remake: Carol Hall's 1978 musical The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas will get a film makeover from "Legally Blonde" screenwriters Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, according to Variety. The new, updated version for Universal Pictures will be a departure from both the stage musical and the subsequent 1982 film that starred Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds. "Twilight" producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey are producing the contemporary take on Whorehouse. While the latest incarnation is set to include musical numbers, those involved have not revealed whether songs from the original stage and film versions will remain intact. (The earlier film used some of Hall's songs from the Broadway show but also included new songs written by Parton). The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, which traces the fate of the infamous Texas brothel, the Chicken Ranch, had a book by Larry L. King and Peter Masterson, with a score by Hall.

The musical, co-directed by Peter Masterson and Tommy Tune, opened on Broadway in 1978, playing 1,584 performances. by Anonymous reply 50 02/11/2010 The Broadway version has a kick ass score and a very well constructed libretto. It was very touching and entertaining on stage. The orchestra was mostly an onstage country-western combo, and they were excellent. It was like being at a honky tonk, while a story unfolded behind them. My favorite song is the show's opener Twenty Fans", it's charming and catchy as hell. by Anonymous reply 51 02/11/2010 Colin Higgins wrote "Silver Streak" and "Harold & Maude" before he started directing. He only directed three films. by Anonymous

Question: Where was the Best Little Whorehouse according to the musical title?
Answer: Texas